This document provides an overview of key battles in the American Revolution and the hardships faced by soldiers, members of Congress, and civilians. It includes a chart summarizing who won each major battle, why they won, and the important results. The battles discussed are Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, New York, Trenton, Philadelphia, Saratoga, and Yorktown. The document also describes the harsh conditions faced by soldiers at Valley Forge and the economic challenges of inflation and profiteering faced by Congress. Friedrich von Steuben is credited with improving the effectiveness of the Continental Army through drilling. The Battle of Yorktown resulted in Cornwallis' surrender after a joint land and sea siege by American and

1. Struggling Toward Saratoga
Section 4.3

2. Review Your Notes
• Complete the following chart on battles of the
American Revolution
Who won? Why did they win?
What were the important
results?
Lexington &
Concord
Bunker Hill
New York
Trenton
Philadelphia
Saratoga
Yorktown

3. Hardships
1. Soldiers
• remaining clothed
• keeping fed
• staying warm and healthy
• having to provide their own housing
• keeping their spirits up
• spread of disease such as small pox and
dysentery

4. Hardships
2. Members of Congress
• financing the war
• battling inflation
• equipping the army
• struggling with profiteers
• negotiating with France
• avoiding British capture

5. Hardships
3. Civilians
• managing farms, businesses, families, and
households while family members were off at
war
• caring for soldiers in the field

6. 1) Lexington & Concord
Who Won?
• Colonists
Why?
• Guerilla tactics of the Massachusetts militia
surprised the British troops who continued to
march in formation
Results?
• Colonists were emboldened by the victory
• Many volunteers joined the MA militia
• British troops retreated to Boston

7. 2) Bunker Hill
Who Won?
• Both or Neither
Why?
• Both sides considered it a victory
– British took the Hill from the colonists
– Colonists inflicted heavier casualties on the
British
Results?
• Both sides are emboldened by their perceived
victory
• Both sides gain the confidence to fight on

8. 3) New York
Who Won?
• The British
Why?
• Large, better-trained army outnumbered the
Continentals
Results?
• British captured New York
• Continentals were demoralized
• more than half deserted, were captured, or
were killed

9. 3) New York
• demoralized
having lost confidence or hope
• deserted
abandon in a way considered disloyal

10. 4) Trenton
Who won?
• The Americans
Why?
• they took the Germans by surprise
• they attacked during a storm
Results?
• The Americans took the garrison at Trenton
• many reenlisted
• American morale rose

11. 5) Trenton
• garrison
the troops stationed in a fortress or town to
defend it
• reenlist
sign up again in the armed forces
• morale
the confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a
person or group at a particular time

12. 6) Philadelphia
Who won?
• The British
Why?
• British forces were better prepared and
outnumbered the Continentals
Results?
• British capture Philadelphia, the American
capital
• the Continental Congress is forced to flee
• the British forces spent the winter in comfortably

13. 7) Saratoga
Who won?
• The Americans
Why?
• British General Burgoyne underestimated the
difficulties
• General Howe’s forces failed to aid Burgoyne’s
• Burgoyne’s forces were weakened by hunger and
exhaustion
Results?
• Britain changed strategy to keep troops near the
coastline
• British confidence is damaged
• the Continentals saw they could beat the British
• France began to openly support the Americans

14. 8) Yorktown
Who won?
• The Americans
Why?
• General Cornwallis miscalculates his advantage
• Combined French and American forces along with two
French fleets corner Cornwallis on the peninsula
• The British suffered three weeks of siege before their
lines fell and Cornwallis forced to surrender
Results?
• Parliament votes to suspend warfare against America
• Treaty of Paris, 1783 is signed

15. Identify
1. Valley Forge
• Winter camp of the Continental Army near
Philadelphia in the winter of 1777-78
• Harsh winter where 20% of the soldiers died
• Many suffered frostbite and disease
• Short of food and supplies
• Awaiting word on French support

16. Identify
2. Inflation
• General rise in prices or decline in purchasing
power
• Result of Continental Congress printing more
money

17. Identify
3. Profiteering
• When businessmen increase their prices in
order to make more money because the
buyers need to buy it anyway

18. Winning the War
Section 4.4

19. Friedrich von Steuben
• Prussian captain and
drillmaster
• turned the Continental
Army into an effective
fighting force
• taught the soldier how
to stand at attention,
execute field
maneuvers, fire and
reload quickly, wield
bayonets

20. Marquis de Lafayette
• French aristocrat who
joined Washington’s staff
• lobbied for French
reinforcements
• bore the hardships at
Valley Forge
• led a command in Virginia
• suggested the military
strategy that won
Yorktown

21. Battle of Yorktown
• at the suggestion of Lafayette, the French
and American forces joined together and
attack the British at Yorktown along with the
two French fleets
• the combined forces sieged the city for 3
weeks before Cornwallis surrendered

22. Signing the Treaty of Paris
• granted full
independence from
Britain
• set the boundaries of
the new nation
• Americans promised to
pay their debts to
England